This January I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis. I was on a psychotropic drug for about 4 months for an acute psychotic episode I experienced in the fall. While on the drug I experienced muscle tension and lightheadedness all the time, which got worse whe

[tennisman]

This January I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis. I was on a psychotropic drug for about 4 months for an acute psychotic episode I experienced in the fall. While on the drug I experienced muscle tension and lightheadedness all the time, which got worse when I went from sitting to standing. I was only on a moderate dose.  I was told to get off the drug by my gastroenterologist. I've been off of the drug for a month and a half now. I've had no further psychotic sypmtoms while off of the drug, but I'm still experiencing muscle tension and lightheadedness. The muscles in the back of my left leg feel tense and my toes want to keep wiggling, as well. I had an MRI of my brain which was normal. I've had lots of blood work done, which only revealed elevated ALT and AST liver enzymes. I don't drink. My Copper is fine, so they ruled out Wilson's disease. My Neurologist referred me to a movement disorders specialist for further evaluation.

Any ideas what could be causing me to feel lightheaded and have this persistent muscle tension?

Thank you for your time.

[tennisman]

Thanks for the reply.
I was on Abilify, which is known to cause a lot of what I've described, but I was on a very low dose and have been off of the thing for almost two months. I had Gastroparesis before the drug.

[Heiferly]

This community is for disorders of the autonomic nervous system, and is not one of the ask-a-doctor communities, so questions are merely answered by other patients.  I'm afraid your question sounds as though it may be complicated enough to require a doctor's response.  There is a link to the Neurology Expert Forum in the right hand column of our community if you scroll down toward the bottom of the page, past Community Members and Related Communities.  (Make sure you go to the Expert Forum, as that is the one where you can get an answer from a doctor.)  

Gastroparesis and lightheadedness can be symptoms of dysautonomia; however, I have never heard of muscle tension in the form you are describing as a symptom of dysautonomia.  If indeed this is a case of dysautonomia, I presume it would be considered secondary dysautonomia, as it seems from what you describe that it was brought on by the drug you took.  (Most likely it would be helpful to an expert trying to answer your question to know specifically what drug that was, so you may want to include that if you post this in the neurology expert forum.)  If dysautonomia is suspected, there are a number of tests that may be helpful, primarily what is called a "tilt table test."  There are other forms of autonomic testing that may be helpful, depending on your symptoms; a specialist familiar with autonomic disorders can help identify what tests need to be performed in your case.

Let me know if you have trouble finding the neurology expert forum, and good luck finding an answer to what is causing your symptoms, whether it is ANS disorder or something else entirely.